Myanmar has many acres of lands dedicated to coffee cultivation but it imports nearly US$100 million worth of coffee and instant coffee mix per year, according to agriculture expert Tun Win.
"Some of the lands in Myanmar have the
same type of soil found in the coffee plantations in Brazil, but we are
not able to use them effectively so we have to import coffee and coffee
mix every year," said Tun Win.
Tun Win said that the authorities
confiscated over 100,000 acres of farmlands in Pyin Oo Lwin, Nyaungcho
and Kyaukmae in Shan State for coffee plantation projects, but nothing
has been done on these lands. When farmers demanded their lands back,
they were arrested and sent to prison.
"[The authorities] confiscated farmlands
in our area but nothing has been grown on them and they have been left
vacant for many years," said a farmer from Pyin Oo Lwin.
Another agricultural expert also said
that Vietnam is able to produce its own coffee even though it does not
have fertile soil for coffee planting. The soil in Myanmar is able to
produce world standard coffee which could be exported to international
markets.
"It is sad that we have to import [the
coffee] even though we can produce them on our lands. Vietnam has been
exporting its coffee to the world's coffee market after 1988," said the
expert.
Palm oil ranks first on the list of
imported products coming in to Myanmar, with US$450 million worth of oil
entering the country each year, followed by coffee topping at US$97.8
million per year of imports.
Myanmar also import US$237 million worth
of sugar, wheat, cotton yarns, coffee creamers, and condensed milk
although such products can also be produced locally.
source: Eleven Myanmar
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